Here begynneth the first volum of sir Iohan Froyssart of the cronycles of Englande, Fraunce, Spayne, Portyngale, Scotlande, Bretayne, Flau[n]ders: and other places adioynynge. Tra[n]slated out of frenche into our maternall englysshe tonge, by Iohan Bourchier knight lorde Berners: at the co[m]maundement of oure moost highe redouted souerayne lorde kyng Henry the. viii. kyng of Englande and of Fraunce, [and] highe defender of the christen faythe. [et]c.

¶ Howe the duke of Burgoyne dep∣ted fro the duke of Lācastre without batayle / and howe the duke of Lāca∣stre went to Calays. Ca. CC .lxviii. (Book 268)

AFter thys aduenture: ∣ther was nothing done that ought to be remembred. It displeased mochsom of both parties / y^t they were so long so nere togyder and fought nat / for it was sayde euery day among them / we shall fight to more we / y^• whiche day cāe neuer. For as it is sayd before: the duke of Burgoyne wolde nat breke the or∣dynaunce of the kynge his brother / who hadde straytely commaunded him / that he shulde gy∣ue no batayle to thenglysshmen: and euery day there was messangers bytwene them / comyng and goynge. The duke of Burgoyne / as I was than̄e enfourmed / ymagyned and consy∣dered / howe that he lay there at great cost and charge / and howe he coude lye no lengar there to his honour. For he hadde there a four thou∣sande knyghtes or mo / and sawe well that his enemyes were but a handfull of men / as to the nombre of his / and had nother fought with thē nor shulde nat. Wherfore hesent of his knight{is} to y^e kyng his brother / shewyng him his mynde that other he wolde haue leue to fight / or els〈…〉〈…〉

departe. The kyng knewe well the duke desy∣red but reason / commaundyng him that on the sight of his letters he shulde dillodge and gyue leaue to all his men of warr to departe / and to come hymselfe to Parys. Sayenge / howe he wolde go himselfe in his owne propre {per}sone to fight with the englysshmen. Whan the duke of Burgoyne herde those tidynges / he gaue kno∣ledge therof secretly to the greattest of his host / sayeng to thē. Sirs we must disloge / the kyng heth cōmaunded it / and so by the hour of myd∣night all thyng was trussed / & euery man moū¦ted on their horses / and set fyre on their logyn∣ges. At whiche tyme sir Henry of Sāxels kept the watche / with {ser} Robert of Namures cōpa∣ny (who spyed a fyre) and than two or thre and so mo. Than he sayd to hymselfe: a / I fere me the frenchmen wyll a wake vs this night / it se∣meth so by their dealyng & said to thē that were there about hym. Let vs go and awake the lor∣de Robert Namure / to the entent that y^• french¦men fynde vs nat a slepe. Than this sir Henry came to the lodgynge of the lorde Namur / and called his chāberlayns and sayd. Sirs / it is be houefull that ye a wake your lorde. And they went to his bedde syde and awoke hym / & she∣wed hym all the mater (who answered) Well: I se we shall shortely here other tidynges. Call vp your folkes / and let euery man be quickely armed: And so they dyde / and also he was short¦ly armed. And whan his men were assembled togyder / he caused one to take his baner & went streight to the duke of Lancastres tent / who as than was nere armed / for he had warnynge be¦fore of the mater. And so he was anon redy and his lordes lytell and lytell drewe anone aboute him / and euer as they came they raynged in ba¦tayle fayre & softely / without any noyse or light And caused all the archers to be redy raynged before theym / in suche a place: where as they thought the frenchmen shulde cōe / if they were in purpose to come and fight with theym. And whan they had stand thus the space of two hou¦ses / and sawe that none came to them / they had great marueyle. Than the duke demaunded of the lordes about him / what was best for hym to do? Some sayd one thyng / some sayd another euery man after his opinyon. Than the duke sayd to sir Water of Manny: sir howe say you? Sir sayd he / I can nat tell what I shulde say. But sir and ye shulde do after myne opinyon / ye shulde ordayne your men of armes and ar∣chers in maner of batayle / and euer lytell and lytell to auaūce forwarde. For sir / anon it wyll be day lyght: than shall you se perfitely before you. The duke agreed to this counsayle / howe be it some other counsayled to the contrary: for in no wyse they wolde haue the duke to remoue fro his felde. So in this strife they were togy∣der a certayne space / at last it was ordayned / y^• certayne of sir Robert of Namures company / and certayne of sir Ualeran de Bromes com∣pany shulde mount a hors backe / bycause they were mete and able for such an enterprice. And so a .xxx. of the best horsemen de{per}ted and rode towarde the frenche host. Than agayne {ser} Gal¦tyer of Manny sayd to the duke: sir / neuer be∣leue me without the frenchmen be fledde. Ther¦fore mount on your horse and all your compa∣ny / and folowe them quickely: and ye shall ha∣ue this day on them a fayre iourney. Than the duke sayde: Sir / I haue hytherto alwayes fo∣lowed the aduyse of my counsayle / & euer wyll ••o: but I can neuer beleue that so many valy∣ant men of armes / and noble knightes that be here of the frenche partie / wolde thus shamful¦ly depart. For parauenture / the fyers that they haue made / is to drawe vs to warde them: and so to begyle vs. Anon our currours wyll come in / and they wyll bringe vs the perfyte know∣ledge of euery thynge.

ANd as they were thus talkynge / their currours came in / and sayd to the purpose of sir Gaultyer of Māny: and shewed all that they had sene and founde. They sayde howe they founde no body / but certayne poore vitaylers / suche as folowed the host. Than sir Gaultier of Manny had great honoure of his opinyon before. Than the duke of Lancastre drewe to his lodgyng / and vnarmed him: and thought to haue gone and dyned in the frenche mens lodgynges (sauynge for the fyre & smoke that they had made / wolde nat suffre him) but at nyght he went thyder to supper and lodged there all night / and toke their ease with such as they had. The next mornynge they dislodged and retourned to Calays / and whan the duke of Burgoyne dysloged / he went the same day to saynt Omers / and there lay and all his host. And than de{per}ted euery man whyder they wol∣de / whiche was a great payne after to bringe togyder agayne. ¶ The same weke the erle of Penbroke beynge in Poyctou / and had great displeasure that sir Loys of Sanxere / sir Jo∣han of Uyen / sir John̄ of Bulle & other had so delt with him before at Puyernon as it hath b••

the wed before / than he thought to be reuenged if he might. And departed fro Mortayne with his company / with a two hundred speares and so came to Angolesme to the prince / who made him great there. The erle desyred him / to lette him haue a certayne nōbre of men / and to haue leaue to make a iourney. Sayeng how he had great desyre to reuenge him of the dispites that the frēchmen had done to him of late. The pri∣ce who loued hym entierly graūted his desyre. the same season ther was newly come to the pri¦ce fro the countie of Armynake sir Hugh Cau∣rell / and had brought with hym moo than fyue hūdred men of warr of the companyons. The prince commaunded hym to go with the erle of Penbroke in that iourney: and also the erle de∣syred sir Loys Harcourt / sir Guyssharde Dan¦gle sir Percyuale of Coloyne the lorde of Pōs the lorde of Parteney / the lorde of Pynan / sir Thomas Percy / sir Thomas Pontchardon / and dyuers other knightes of the princ{is} house. who gladly graūted to go with hym. So whā they were all togyder / they were a fyue. C. spe∣res / thre hundred archers / and fyftene hundred of other men in maner of brigantes / with laun¦ces and pauesses / folowynge the hoost a fote. Thus therle of Penbroke de{per}ted with his cō∣pany / and rodeso long that he rāe into Aniou: than he began to brenne / wast / and distroy the countre. And so passed through on the one syde brennynge and winnynge of townes and small holdes / and raunsomed the playne countrey to Sauyour on Loyre. And lodged in the subbar¦bes / and assayled the towne / but they coude nat get it / for within was sir Robert of Sanxere / who kepte and defended the towne / but all the coūtre aboute was brent and distroyed. Than 〈◊〉〈◊〉 Hughe Caurell and his company came to a bridge on the ryuer of Loyre / called the bridge of See / and anone they that kept it were discō∣fyted and the bridge wonne. And than they for ••••yed it in suche wyse / that they kept it long af∣ter. And also in the same iourney the englyssh∣men toke and wanne an abbey on the ryuer of Loyre / called saynt More. the whith they new¦ly fortifyed in suche wyse / that they made ther∣of a great garyson / the whiche greatly doma∣ged the countre / all the wynter & somer after.

THe same tyme ther was in Poyctou an abbey / and is yet called saynt Saluyn / a〈…〉〈…〉euyn leages fro Poycters / in the whiche ab∣bey there was a monke that gretly hated his su¦per your the abbot / & that he shewed well / for by¦cause of the hatred y^t he had to him / he betrayed the abbot and all his couēt. For by his meanes he delyuered the abbey and the towne to sir Lo¦ys of saynt Julyan / and to Carnet the breton / who toke it in the frenche kynges name / and re¦peyred it / and made ther a good garysone. Of the takyng of saynt Saluyn / sir Johan Chan¦dos was sore displeased / bycause he was sene / shall of Poictou. And he thought to hymselfe / that if he lyued long to get it agayne / howeso∣euer he dyde: and that they that hadde taken it shulde repent it. ¶ Nowe let vs a lytell sea¦son leaue spekyng of the busynesse of Poictou / and speke of the duke of Lancastre.